'Believe in yourself': Yuvraj Singh's advice to India Women
What's the story
As the 2025 ICC Women's ODI World Cup approaches, former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has shared some valuable advice for the national team. Speaking at a recent event in Mumbai, he emphasized the importance of believing in oneself and staying true to processes. With just 50 days left until India hosts this prestigious tournament, Yuvraj's words carry significant weight. After all, he was the Player of the Tournament, powering India's iconic 2011 World Cup title.
Home advantage
World Cup in India
While backing India Women, Yuvraj spoke about how special it is to play a World Cup at home. "I think the 50-over World Cup is the World Cup. It's happening in India, and I think everybody should be really excited about it," he said. He also stressed that while it's an opportunity to create history, one shouldn't assume victory from the start but rather focus on putting in processes for desired results.
Pressure handling
'Players should enjoy the moment'
Yuvraj also advised the players to enjoy this moment and stay present instead of thinking ahead. He recalled his own experience of playing in front of a home crowd and how it can be both exciting and pressuring. "The fans are always wanting fours and sixes, or like wickets. That's the game," he said while acknowledging that winning a World Cup requires being in challenging situations at times.
Resilience
Self-belief crucial for success
Yuvraj stressed on the importance of self-belief during tough times. "There will be times when things are not going to go well. And that's the time when the experience, the self-belief, has to take over," he said. He highlighted that every player must believe in their abilities before stepping onto the field. "The women's team lost a couple of finals. We've been there. And it's really important that you enjoy this moment."
Success
Yuvraj powered India to glory in 2011
As mentioned, Yuvraj's all-round brilliance helped India win their second ODI World Cup, in 2011. He was adjudged the Player of the Tournament after recording 362 runs and 15 wickets. His notable century against West Indies and a match-winning knock against Australia in the quarter-final made headlines. Yuvraj was at the non-striker's end when his skipper MS Dhoni struck the match-winning six in the final against Sri Lanka. Notably, Yuvraj was diagnosed with cancer after the tournament.